


To-Go

by VulpesVulpes713



Series: A Collection of Klance [10]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Some depictions of violence, Voltron, diner au, klance, klance fluff, restaurant AU, so good, thank you anon for this prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 02:05:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13514484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VulpesVulpes713/pseuds/VulpesVulpes713
Summary: Based on a prompt I received on Tumblr, where Lance is a restaurant worker and Keith is very smitten, making frequent visits just to see him. It's when some guys come in looking for trouble that Lance and Keith finally get closer.





	To-Go

He saw it before he heard it: the way Lance shrunk away from the group of men he’d been serving, and right away Keith knew something lewd had been said.

 

He knew because he’d been keeping an eye on the trio of drunken douchebags from the moment they walked into the restaurant; praying that it wouldn’t have to be Lance that got stuck with their table.

 

But from what Keith had seen from his frequent visits to the 24/7 diner, usually during the wee hours of the night when he couldn’t sleep, Lance didn’t have the best of luck.

 

From spilled drinks to fussy customers to those who lived to make his life a living hell, Keith had seen Lance handle it all with a grace that shouldn’t have been necessary given where he worked. It wasn’t like Denny’s employees were paid all that much to begin with.

 

Still, Keith had yet to see the long-legged waiter waiver from his unbreakable charismatic self, and it had been one of the many traits for which he had slowly developed something of a crush. 

 

Sure, he had originally ended up in a corner booth at two in the morning because of nightmares and insomnia, plus an appetite for cheap burgers, but after being served by the boy with the most beautiful pair of blue eyes Keith had ever seen, his visits had become more frequent, even when he knew sleep would likely find him should he give it a try. 

 

Regardless, Keith had a soft spot for fast-food and cute servers, and after several trips to the restaurant, he and Lance had begun talking to one another outside of ordering food. It had gotten to the point where Lance would join him at his booth when it was quieter, and he wasn’t cleaning tables or mopping up. 

 

Keith enjoyed those nights best, seeing as his and Lance’s late-night conversations were wild and random, ranging from the possibility of alien life to how horrified the guy who first dug up a dinosaur skull must have been. 

 

He had sort of been hoping for something similar that night, but Fridays were usually busy, and with this particular one marking the beginning of Spring Break, the restaurant was packed full of tipsy teenagers ditching clubs in favour of quick carbs and water. 

 

Still, somehow Lance had been managing to keep up a conversation with him as he worked, all smiles despite the growing bags under his eyes, but it was when the group of men wandered in that things changed. 

 

Keith knew right away that they were troublemakers, both from the way they tilted when they walked and how their stares lingered in places that would make anyone cringe with disgust. And of  _ course  _ Lance had been the one to serve them, likely knowing their type and saving the female waitresses the hassle of impending sexual harassment. 

 

Only problem with that was these guys didn’t seem to mind which gender brought them their food; it was all the same, and Keith had already caught them staring shamelessly at Lance’s rear whenever he walked away, whispering amongst themselves before breaking out in obnoxious laughter that had Keith’s insides twisting unpleasantly.

 

He knew they were talking about Lance. Anyone in the vicinity would have been able to discern that, but Lance was handling it all in stride, waving off the comments and ignoring the stares. 

 

It wasn’t anything he hadn’t experienced before, and from what Lance had told him, guys like this weren’t anything to bat an eye at. ‘All bark and no bite’, he would say, which only comforted Keith so much. Still, if Lance said he could handle it, then Keith would respect that.

 

At least, that had been his decision prior to seeing Lance recoil from the group of men as they cornered him in the hallway near the bathrooms. Keith couldn’t hear what was being said from his booth, but he knew right away that it wasn’t anything good.

 

How could it be, with three hulking men herding Lance further away from the main area of the restaurant, fueled by liquor and strength in numbers. 

 

_ Sorry Lance, but I can’t sit still anymore. _

 

He was up and out of his seat faster than he thought possible, maneuvering his way between the tables until he was directly behind the largest of the three men. No one had noticed him there yet, and he was struck frozen by the provocative words being thrown in Lance’s direction.

 

“-join us in the restroom for some  _ real _ servicing-”

 

“-we’ll tip you-”

 

“-you’ve been asking for it all night. Don’t fight us.”

 

Keith’s blood boiled, and he clenched his fists as he cleared his throat loudly, earning him the distracted glances of the men, and the frightened look in Lance’s eyes as they locked with his. 

 

“Leave him alone,” he demanded, voice low and menacing, and one of the men turned to face him fully with a cocky grin.

 

“How bouts you leave,” he said, and made a shooing motion too close to Keith’s face. He stepped back to avoid being hit, which only spurred the men on. 

 

“Or how bouts you join us,” the middle one said, nudging his friends. “Feeling a bit left out love? No need. We can make room for one more.”

 

Keith swallowed thickly, but not out of fear. He was enraged, especially at the way Lance’s eyes had grown wide at the statements, his shoulders hunching inwards in evident fear. 

 

_ These fuckers are the worst kind of scum.  _

 

And then, positioning one foot behind himself and turning his body sideways, he gave the group one last chance. 

 

“I said leave.”

 

His request was met with laughter, the largest of the three grabbing hold of Lance’s wrist and tugging him forward.

 

“Oh we’ll leave alright-” but that was as far as his sentence could get. He broke off as Keith punched him square in the throat, and the man released Lance in favour of clasping his neck as his eyes bulged and he sank to the ground. 

 

The other two sprang into action, throwing punches that Keith easily dodged. It helped that he was trained in martial arts to begin with, but the added intoxication of the group was a major advantage that Keith was grateful for. He doubted he would have been able to hold up as well were the men level-headed and not in such close quarters. 

 

Still, it took everything Keith had to remain standing on both feet as he fought off three attackers at once; Lance on his phone as he was pressed up into the corner to avoid being hit, mouth moving rapidly and fear etched deep on his features. 

 

Keith couldn’t focus on him now though, not with the group being as persistent as they were. Though being drunk hindered their movements and made them sluggish and slow, it took more for them to be knocked down, seeing as their bodies weren’t registering pain as well as they should have been. 

 

Keith hadn’t wanted to resort to kicks, but after narrowly missing a fist to the jaw, he saw no other way around it. Needless to say the fight didn’t last much longer after that, and he only hoped that he hadn’t killed any of the men as they collapsed on the ground; one clutching his nose as it spluttered blood and sat at an awkward angle on his face. 

 

Lance was at Keith’s side in a matter of seconds, jumping over the bodies of the two that were knocked out, and ignoring the loud curses of the one still conscious. 

 

“Oh my god are you alright?!” he fussed, hands going to Keith’s face and turning it this way and that in search of damage. Aside from a bruised side he was unable to avoid, Keith was surprisingly intact. Exhausted, yes, and with bloodied knuckles that were likely going to be a deep shade of purple come morning, but otherwise in pretty good shape.

 

“Are you?” he asked instead of answering Lance, and the hands stilled. Blue eyes lifted to meet indigo, and Keith saw the fear still evident in the irises that so resembled the ocean. “Are you ok Lance?”

 

Lance nodded after a long moment, as if truly pondering the question. 

 

_ And why wouldn’t he? The poor guy had nearly been….well, I don’t want to think about it. _

 

Keith was just glad that he had been there to intervene before things had gone too far. With the restaurant as crowded as it was, he hoped that  _ someone _ would have helped had he been absent, but it was still too close for comfort, and before he knew it he was wrapping his arms around Lance, pulling him in close as his energy faded away. 

 

Lance made a startled noise at the movement, but reciprocated the hug after only a moment of hesitation. It didn’t last long, seeing as the commotion of the restaurant was loud following the fight, and everyone was pushing forward to try and see what had happened. It was only when two uniformed officers made their way to the front of the crowd, asking patrons to sit back down and wait for questioning, that Keith was able to focus properly; processing what had occured. 

 

The police officers took a few seconds to analyze the scene before turning towards Lance and Keith, faces almost bored, as if this was nothing new. 

 

“What happened,” one asked as the other went to check the vitals of the downed men. Keith was about to answer, to make up a lie that he started a fight in order to keep Lance from getting in trouble in any way, but the boy was faster. 

 

“These men were sexually harassing me, and were in the middle of pushing me into the bathroom to-” he broke off, eyes glassy, but went on with a remarkably steady voice as he gestured to Keith. “He saved me. Please, he was preventing them from hurting me. He’s the hero in this situation.”

 

Keith couldn’t think of anything to say. All he could do was stare at Lance, his hands beginning to throb and side sore, but heart beating just a little bit faster at what Lance had said. 

 

“Is this true?” the officer asked, and it took Keith a minute to realize she was talking to him. 

 

“Yes,” he answered in a small voice, though calling him a ‘hero’ was a bit of a stretch. All he had been doing was keeping Lance from getting hurt; keeping him safe. Anyone would have done the same.

 

“Get them out of here!” someone shouted suddenly, and a burly looking woman emerged from the kitchen, hair unkept and face wrinkled from frowning too much. “Get these ruffians out of my restaurant!”

 

“Please ma’am,” the officer tried to calm her down, but the woman, who Keith knew to be the manager of this particular diner, wasn’t listening. 

 

“Anyone who starts a fight under this roof is banned for life! I don’t care what happened, or who started it, or  _ why _ , I just want them all out!” 

 

_ What the hell?  _

 

“One of your employees was in trouble-” Keith started, but she cut him off.

 

“So? It’s not my business what goes on outside of food service.” She stared up at Lance, who was watching her in shock, and shrugged. “Besides, knowing this one, he probably asked for it-”

 

“What the  _ fuck _ is your problem!” Keith interrupted before she could finish whatever vulgar sentence she had been about to say. “How fucking  _ dare _ you say that!”

 

“Enough,” the officer warned, and Keith felt a hand wrap around his arm. When he looked down he saw dainty brown fingers curled around his wrist, and glanced up to see Lance staring back at him with a small smile, before he shook his head. 

 

“Lance-” 

 

“It’s fine,” he said, and turned towards his boss after taking a long breath. “I quit. I’m tired of working overtime and not getting paid for it, and having to deal with customer complaints on my own without your help. And I’m sick of you ignoring all the reported incidents of harassment that go on in this place. So I’m done.”

 

The woman gaped up at him as Lance untied his apron and handed it over to her, looking ready to fight him herself. She was stopped by the officer however, who had been taking notes throughout the entire exchange.

 

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to answer some questions in regards to managerial misconduct. If you could just remain here while I call someone to help clean up this mess.” She gestured towards the three men, who had been cuffed and propped against the wall as an ambulance was called. She turned towards Keith and Lance after radioing in the situation. “We’ve had several calls this night about a group of men causing trouble in various locations. I believe these are the same guys, so I thank you for dealing with them. However,” she gestured to a booth behind her with a hand, which Lance moved towards, pulling Keith along behind him. 

 

“I’ll need you to just sit here for a moment while we check camera footage and take statements. Also I think it’s best you have your hands checked sir,” she nodded towards Keith, who smiled sheepishly. 

 

“Thank you,” Lance said as he sat, Keith doing the same beside him. The officer nodded again, tucking away her notebook as she inhaled deeply. 

 

“Looks like this may take a while. You,” she pointed to the manager, who jumped at the sudden summoning. “Get these two young men something to eat while they wait. And then take a seat over there. I’ll need you to show me where the surveillance room is once more officers arrive.”

 

The woman hurried off without protest, still clutching Lance’s apron in a tight fist, and the officer winked down at them before going to help her partner. 

 

Keith watched her go, before turning to Lance in disbelief. 

 

“What is happening right now,” he muttered, and Lance snorted as he leaned back against the chair. 

 

“Just a typical shift,” he joked, eyes closing as he sighed. Keith watched him for a long moment, seeing the tension in his face and knowing that there was nothing typical about what had happened. It would take some time for Lance to recover, and Keith felt really horrible that the boy was now out of a job as well.

 

_ I know it’s not my fault but...I still feel responsible.  _

 

Lance must have sensed his thoughts, and peeked over at him with a lopsided grin, before sliding his hand down from Keith’s wrist to entangle their fingers together.

 

“Thank you, by the way,” he whispered, and Keith knew his face was as red as the ketchup bottle sitting on the table in front of them. “I’m really glad you were here.”

 

Keith as momentarily speechless, every nerve in his body hyper-aware of Lance’s hand in his own, but somehow he managed to say something.

 

“Where else would I have been,” he replied, voice just as hushed, and Lance chuckled as he squeezed his hand. 

 

“You  _ do  _ really like Denny’s.”

 

Keith snorted, shuffling closer on the seat and ignoring the stares of the other customers. 

 

“I like this one server a whole lot better.”

 

Lance hummed, eyebrows raising on his forehead as he leaned forward.

 

“Oh? And who is that?”

 

Keith shrugged, trying to play it as suave as he could when in reality his insides felt ready to explode with joy. Because  _ I’m holding Lance’s hand! Oh my god!  _

 

“Doesn’t matter,” he said as uncaringly as he could. “He doesn’t work here anymore.” 

 

Lance frowned, perplexed and maybe a bit disappointed by his answer for a moment.

 

“Doesn’t work here anymore? Who-” he broke off then, realization dawning on him as he likely recalled that he had quit not ten minutes before. “Ooooh! Right. Yeah.”

 

Keith laughed at how dark Lance’s cheeks had gotten, and leaned his head down on the taller boys shoulder as he let his eyes slide shut. 

 

“Yeah,” he heard himself say, suddenly incredibly sleepy, “he was the real reason I kept coming here. Now I’m going to have to take him to a real restaurant to make up for tonight.”

 

Lance stiffened beside him.

 

“Are you asking me-er,  _ him _ out?” he asked, and Keith could hear the smile in his voice, but he kept his eyes closed. Coupled with the fight he had just participated in, it was late at night, and Lance was warm. He wanted nothing else than to just fall asleep right there, but made himself answer nonetheless.

 

“Yeah well, he sort of owes me food anyway. I never did get my order.” 

 

“Oh my god,” Lance huffed, and Keith laughed breathily as he scooted closer. 

 

“No really though, do you want to?” 

 

He opened his eyes and glanced up at Lance, seeing blue eyes focus in on him and crinkle slightly at the corners as their owner smiled. It was a sight Keith could lose himself in, happily. 

 

“Can we do a home-cooked meal instead? I’m sort of fed up with restaurants right now.”

 

Keith nodded, feeling his head spin with giddiness at the idea of cooking for Lance. Not that he was particularly good at it or anything, but he could learn.  _ Would _ learn. 

 

Besides, he was also sort of tired of fast-food and cheap burgers, and it was about time he kick this late-night Denny’s run habit. 

 

“Yeah,” he mumbled, feeling his eyes close once again as another wave of exhaustion passed over him. “That sounds perfect.”

 

When they were finally cleared to leave, Keith found himself not with a take-out bag in his hand, but rather that of the cute-server he had been crushing on for so long. And though the night had been much more eventful than he could ever have expected, and it would take some time to fully process all that had happened, Keith was sort of fond of the outcome. 

 

Lance had been the only thing he had truly wanted from the restaurant anyway.

 

The sun was nearly dawning by the time they reached the crook in the road that would take Keith back to his place, but he found himself resistant to let Lance’s hand go just yet.

 

Lance seemed to thinking the same thing, and for a moment they just stood in place as the early morning commuters drove by in the light brightening sky.  

 

“Hey,” Keith said suddenly, thinking back to how Lance had agreed to a meal with him, so long as it was home-cooked. He didn’t want to brag, but if there was one thing Keith was good at making, it was an omelette. “How do you feel about breakfast?”

 

Lance blinked, then grinned as he realized what Keith was implying. 

 

“Breakfast?” he asked, and Keith nodded. “Love it. Favourite meal of the day.”

 

“Then...do you want to-”

 

“Yes,” Lance answered before Keith could finish, and he beamed as Keith rolled his eyes. 

 

“Geesh,” he said, walking down the road to his apartment with Lance’s hand still in his own. “At least let me finish properly asking you over.” 

 

“Sorry,” Lance laughed. “I’ve just been waiting for this for a while now. My coworkers had a bet going to see how long it would take.”

 

Keith felt his mouth drop open, and scoffed up at Lance. 

 

“You could have asked  _ me _ out you know!” 

 

“Dude,” Lance said, deadpan. “I’ve been writing my number on the bottom of your receipt for the past two weeks.”

 

Keith stopped in his tracks, feeling the pull of Lance’s arm as he kept walking. He turned back to stare at Keith with a raised brow.

 

“Seriously?” Keith asked, unbelieving. 

 

_ There’s no way… _

 

Lance grinned, running his free hand through his hair as he blushed. 

 

“I mean, yeah. I was sort of hoping you would call one day but you never did. I figured you were either really oblivious or you just  _ really _ liked Denny’s. I’m glad it wasn’t the latter.” 

 

Keith grinned, making his way forward again as he rolled his eyes and tried not to feel guilty about having thrown out every single receipt Lance had given him. The only reason he had asked for them in the first place was for the opportunity to brush fingers while it was handed over. 

 

Pathetic really, he knew, but hey. What’s a guy to do.

 

“Well that’s embarrassing,” he muttered, more to himself than anything, but Lance still heard. 

 

“I think it’s cute,” he said, and Keith bit his lip as he felt his ears burn. “Besides, I like how things worked out. Now I get to brag that my boyfriend is my knight in shining armour, fighting off thugs for the sake of my innocence.”

 

Keith was too stunned by the casual use of the word ‘boyfriend’ to properly reply, so instead he let his smile do the talking, and squeezed his and Lance’s fingers together.

 

_ Damn it. I really do have a weak spot for cute servers.  _

 

_ But at least I got this one to-go. _

 

_ And hopefully to keep. _

 


End file.
